DOTr Inspects Japan's Tunnel Boring Machines before Metro Manila Subway Inauguration

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade was in Japan recently to inspect the Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) at Japan's foremost manufacturer of tunnel boring machines, the JIMT Tsurumi Factory in the city of Yokohama. This is in preparation for the Metro Manila Subway's groundbreaking this coming February 27.

The Secretary also went to Osaka to check the TBMs manufactured by Hitachi Zosen  Sakai Works (HZSW) in Sakai City.

During their visit in HZSW, the DOTr became interested in incorporating the company's Neo RISE technology in Metro Manila's subway. Neo RISE  is "a no engine power and no human operation rising sea wall that automatically rises to protect any structure from incoming floodwater." According to the agency, the technology is being considered for the entrances of the Metro Manila Subway stations. 

According to the DOTR, Secretary Tugade was joined by Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, Philippine National Railways (PNR) General Manager Junn Magno, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippines Chief Representative Yoshio Wada.

Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM)

Tunnel Boring Machines, also known as 'moles,' are important in creating subway systems. These huge machines are used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata, and are often used as alternatives to drilling and blasting (D&B) methods in rock and conventional 'hand mining' in soil. They have the advantage of limiting the disturbance to the surrounding ground and producing a smooth tunnel wall, making them suitable to use in heavily urbanized areas.

The TBMs that will be used for the Metro Manila Subway measures 6.9-meter in diameter, and weighs over 600 tons. The government reported that the machine had to "be assembled in Japan for a test run," disassembled when shipped to the Philippines, and re-assembled again when used during the subway's construction.